The Best Ratio For Leafy Greens In Smoothies
Dont just throw everything in your blender and keep your fingers crossed itll turn out well. Chances are itll taste awful!
Its better to plan your green smoothie and decide on the ratio of fruits and veggies youre going to use. If youre a green smoothie beginner, start slow and work yourself up!
In the beginning, a 50/50 ratio is a good start. That means 50% of veggies and 50% fruits. Fruits act like a spoonful of sugar that makes you enjoy your medicine .
I know many people are concerned about adding too many fruits can let your blood sugar spike.
I wouldnt worry about it too much.
Its more likely youll keep your new habit of making green smoothies if you can enjoy the taste. Once youre getting used to green smoothies, you can easily reduce the number of fruits and add more leafy greens. An 80/20 ratio is a great ratio to aim for once youre more experienced.
How To Make A Smoothie Without A Blender
If you want to make a smoothie without a blender, there are a couple of other options. In a pinch, you can make a smoothie a food processor, but be ready for some more clean up. Your food processor might not be made to lock in liquids, so there could be some leaks. Plus, its got several pieces, including a removable blade, which will need individual cleaning.
For making an individual smoothie, you can use an immersion blendera handheld version of a blender, which can come at a lower price. Simply dip the immersion blender into an unbreakable cup or bowl containing your ingredients and turn it on to mix. A good quality one will break up your ice just as well as a standard blender will. Plus, immersion blenders dont take up much space and tend to be easy to clean.
Mix Green And Freeze In Cubes
If you dont have a lot of room in your freezer, you can take the fresh spinach and mix it with a small amount of water until the mixture is smooth. Then freeze in ice cube trays and store frozen vegetable cubes in an airtight container in the freezer. I used to do this when we lived in a condo and didnt have an extra freezer in the basement!
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How To Make A Smoothie With Frozen Fruit
As we mentioned, making a smoothie with frozen fruit is a great way to go. Its an especially good move at the times of year when your favorite fruits arent in season.
And since you want your smoothie to be cold and frosty, theres no fuss here. Just throw your favorite frozen fruits into your smoothie and blend. You might even find that you need little or no ice because youre getting the coldness and iciness from your frozen fruit.
Bananas, mangos and blueberries always come out best frozen! says Adler. Strawberries and raspberries tend to be more bitter and have more seeds. So for those, you might want to go fresh.
Notes On The Ingredients
With only 4 ingredients , this smoothie can be whipped up at pretty much any time of the year.
- Pineapples adds body, fibre and a burst of freshness to the smoothie. I recommend using fresh pineapples over canned. You could also use frozen pineapples. Pineapples are an excellent of vitamin C.
- Fresh Spinach This may be swapped with kale if desired, but spinach is my #1 choice for this because of how well it blends together. It also gives it that beautiful green colour. They both offer ample amounts of Vitamin K, Vitamin A and Vitamin C.
- Chopped Bananas Bananas in this smoothie help to keep you full and add a natural sweetness, so you dont need to add any sugar to this smoothie. As we all know about bananas, theyre high in, say it with me Potassium!
- Fresh Orange Juice This also adds a touch of sweetness to the smoothie. I recommend choosing oranges that are more on the sweet side than tart. Oranges are also a great source of vitamin C. You can choose to juice them freshly or buy orange juice.
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Simple Green Smoothie Recipe For Kids
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Start the day with a simple Green Smoothie thats designed to taste good and be easy to makeso its not too thick, includes accessible ingredients, and is sweet enough to help kids enjoy every sip.
Keeping The Ingredients Minimal But Flavourful
My biggest piece of advice is to keep it simple!
Pick 1-3 fruits to add, maybe a leafy green such as spinach and then your liquid and protein source. That’s it!
Don’t make it harder on yourself by going out and spending all this money on fish oil, fresh turmeric, etc and then have a smoothie where you don’t enjoy the taste very much or you’ve spent $100 on ingredients and have turned it into a complicated process. Sometimes the healthiest foods are the simplest foods.
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Health Benefits Of Green Smoothies
Getting enough nutrients through your diet, for example by drinking green smoothies, will ensure your immune system gets everything it needs to work properly which is key for long-term health. Proper nutrition also makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight, to keep your skin healthy and to prevent premature aging, oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in the body.
Use Frozen Fruits And Vegetables
This green smoothie recipe calls for 1 cup of frozen fruit plus a frozen banana. Using frozen fruits and vegetables is key for thicker and creamier green smoothies. You will notice that I dont use ice in any of my smoothie recipes , because it dilutes the flavor and gives the smoothies an icy texture, which Im not a fan of.
I recommend stocking up on frozen fruit in the winter when products are not available. During the summer, shop for seasonal items on sale and instantly freeze them the same way as bananas.
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The Best Green Smoothie
Smoothies are my best food friend You can have one for breakfast, you can have one for a snack, you can even have one for lunch or dinner if the mood strikes! Smoothies are a great way to pack a ton of nutrition into one quick and easy meal.
I love that you can tailor smoothies to suit your exact needs at the moment. Want something light? Stick to fruits and vegetables and choose a light base like chilled green tea or juice diluted with water.
Need something a little more substantial to tide you over for a few hours? No problem! Choose a heartier base like soy or hemp milk with your choice of fruits and vegetables and be sure to include nutrient dense ingredients like nut butters, seeds, protein powders or oils. You can even play around with the yield! Make a little smoothie, or a BIG smoothie. I always seems to make REALLY BIG smoothies so I usually have to share
This smoothie is right in the middle of light and hearty. Almond milk is low in calories and protein, so I consider it a light base. Almond milk + frozen bananas creates a lovely velvety, creamy texture. Peanut butter and hemp seeds provide a big boost of protein and healthy fats, not to mention extra staying power and a delicious nutty flavour. A handful or two of fresh spinach adds that green goodness Add a couple of soft pitted dates for a touch of extra sweetness.
If you haven’t tried a green smoothie before, the first one is kind of terrifying, Does it taste green? Isn’t it gross?
Now blend away!
Fruits To Use In A Green Shake
Here are some fruit suggestions to use in this green smoothie recipe. In this post I used half mango and half pineapple, which is my favorite combination! Keep in mind that if you use darker fruits like blueberries, blackberries, cherries, etc., the color will change and you will likely make a brown smoothie that is delicious but not green in color.
- mango
- celery
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How To Make Smoothies Thinner
Ive found some smoothies, especially green smoothies, can be thicker than I like. And, my children always prefer their smoothies to be less thick.
There are two options to making smoothies thinner. Add more juice or add more water. But, by adding more juices, youre also adding more unnecessary sugars. If Im drinking the smoothie right away, I add ice water. If Im saving the smoothie in the refrigerator for later in the day, Ill add water only.
S To Make A Perfect Fruit Smoothie
No matter what kind of fruit smoothie recipe you are making, you can follow these steps.
Now that you have a great idea of making any fruit smoothie let’s look at how to make some of the most popular fruit smoothies.
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Best Green Smoothie Recipes For Beginners
These green smoothies are packed full of nutritious ingredients, from avocado to kale, mint to spinach. Theyre healthy, delicious and really easy to pull together for breakfast on the run or as part of a detox diet.
Get the day off to a delicious and nutritious start with this super green smoothie bowl.
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How Do You Make Your Green Smoothie So Smooth Without Chunks
One of the most important things about drinking green smoothies and wholefood juice is texture.
Its not the color, and its not the flavor. If I had to choose one single factor that stands in the way of most people drinking green smoothies and wholefood juice it would have to be texture. Yes, smoothies are suppose to be smooth. How smooth your drink is makes all the difference in the world for 3 reasons.
1. Drinks are suppose to be smooth not chunky and when we get a lump on our tongue or fiber in our teeth the experience of drinking it is no longer a pleasure.
2. Texture really effects flavor.
3. The smoother the texture of your green smoothie the more nutrition that is available.
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How To Make A Green Smoothie
Lets take a look at exactly what you need to make the perfect green smoothie! At Fit Foodie Kitchen, we use a basic recipe that we deviate from based on whats in the fridge and what our bodies crave.
So whats in a green smoothie?
Frozen Fruit We like to use frozen fruit to omit the ice from our green smoothies so you can get a smoother, creamier smoothie. We recommend banana, berries, mangoes, pineapple, etc. For a single serving, use about 1 cup of frozen fruit.
Greens Obviously, all green smoothies have some kind of green! Whether its spinach, kale, or micro-greens, any type of green will work. Here are our favorites:
- Spinach
- beet greens
Can You Use Kale Instead Of Spinach
Yes! If you enjoy the taste of fresh kale, feel free to use it instead of spinach in this smoothie recipe. One thing to note is that kale is a heartier green and has a stronger flavor than spinach so you may be able to taste it a bit more in the smoothie. Also, because it is a leafy green on the tougher side, you may need to spend a bit more time blending to ensure that your smoothie is completely smooth.
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How To Meal Prep Green Smoothies
I think that green smoothies are the best when they’re served fresh, straight from the blender. So I meal prep smoothies by having all the ingredients on hand and ready to go. This means I always have my freezer stocked with frozen fruit and greens and pre-portion all of the add-ins like protein powder!
What Do You Do With The Leftover Pulp
Honestly, you can throw it away if you want, but if the thought of wasting really bugs you, heres a really great article on 20 Smart Uses for Leftover Juice Pulp. Personally, I compost!
Packed with loads of fruits and vegetables, this Green Juice Recipe is so good for you, naturally gluten free and vegan, and is ridiculously delicious!
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Coconut Water Is Natures Gatorade
If you need some extra electrolytes in your diet, then this mango orange smoothie is for you! Studies show that coconut water does a great job replacing electrolytes after a long workout. I often take coconut water with me, or add it to my post workout smoothie. I want to make sure Im refueling my body the right way, especially after a long run.
If you want to use this mango orange smoothie as a post-workout drink, then dont forget to boost it with Protein Smoothie Boost. This plant based, all organic powder will boost your smoothie by 10 grams of protein!
What Is A Fruit Smoothie
A fruit smoothie is a drink made from blended fruits with a liquid base of fruit juice, yogurt, milk, ice cream, or other dairy product. Once you blend all your fruity ingredients into a smooth mixture, you have your perfect smoothie.
You can use various fruits to make a fruit smoothie, including bananas, oranges, apples, kiwis, peaches, and more. First, we’ll look at some fruit smoothie recipes that you can try. However, before we dive in, let’s look at the steps to make a basic smoothie.
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Select Fruit To Balance The Greens
Finally pick a fruit to balance out the flavor of the leafy green. For a green smoothie, I recommend using pineapple, banana, mango, pear, kiwi, avocado, green apples, or any combination of these, or other yellow and green fruits. I love using frozen fruit when possible to get a smooth and creamy texture.
Those are the three essential ingredient types for making a green smoothie. Then you can addmore flavor, more sweetness, more texture, or more nutritional value with all kinds of added ingredients. This includes seeds, protein powders, natural sweeteners, nuts or nut butters, oils or spices.
Place all in ingredients in a blender and blend until its smooth with no chunks of leafy greens or fruits.
Dont forget to taste it! Here, you can decide if your green smoothie needs a sweetener, if its too thick or not cold enough or if it needs any extra ingredients. Some common adjustments I make are adding honey if the fruit wasnt ripe enough, adding lemon juice to cut the bitterness of some greens, or adding cinnamon to give it a warm flavor.
Then make sure to drink this green smoothie right after you blend it for the best consistency! Its the worst when a smoothie settles in the fridge and separates into parts. But if that happens just shake it up or mix it before drinking. If you have any left over, you can keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
Green Smoothie Freezer Bags
Wondering if you can meal prep smoothies for the week? You sure can!
Wash, dry, and chop your fruits and vegetables then portion them out into freezer-friendly containers or bags. Then, place your bags into the freezer until ready for use. When youre ready to make a smoothie, simply take the frozen fruit and veggies out of the bag, add them to your blender, add your ice water and orange juice, and blend. No need to thaw before blending!
Remember to always peel your bananas prior to freezing! This is also a great way to save any fruits that are close to becoming overripe.
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How To Make A Smoothie With/without Milk Or Yogurt
If youre lactose intolerantor avoiding dairy for other reasonsyou can make a delicious smoothie without dairy milk or yogurt.
Coconut milk, almond milk, hemp milk, coconut water, and even regular water can be used in just about any smoothie. There are even plant-based yogurts you can add in for richness. Look for hemp or pea-based protein powders, such as Sun Warrior or Manitoba, suggests Adler.
You can also give Adlers recipe for a honeydew-mint green smoothie a tryits super tasty and made without milk or yogurt.
The 3 Best Vegetables For A Green Smoothie
I was totally that girl who was intimidated into drinking green smoothies because of the color. I mean, drinking something green is kind of scary
Thought Id chat about the top 3 types of veggies that you can add to your green smoothie especially for those starting out in front of expert green smoothie drinkers!
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